ummm. the book isn’t about meth. and his book won’t stop meth, or crack or alcoholism. it provides false hope by creating a fake path of redemption, that he made up. how is that helping people exactly?

Oprah “sold” me on the book—I read it twice—gave it to someone very close to me that is addicted.  I imagine she has to apologize for the support and critiquing of the book presented to her as “fact”, but I have to say that I, personally, had little trouble identifying the embellishments.  Did they “hurt” the book?  Not to my way of thinking.  It’s a book that brought a great deal of attention to meth and all of the problems society is having wreaked on it as a result of it’s use.  James Frey may have taken too many liberties, told to many lies, but the MESSAGE shouldn’t be lost on anyone reading it:  Meth needs to be stopped.  It won’t be until people unite over what it’s going to take to stop it.  I’m getting a little tired of the old stand-by answer that “people will turn to something”.  Can’t we do better than sit around and wait for the next “recreational” drug to make it’s commercial debut?

Frey did what addicts do when they are NOT sober. Sober is NOT merely abstinance of drug or alcohol use it’s a very hard process. If one does not go through recovery you wind up with a “dry drunk” that is a person who no longer drinks but exhibits the same or worse behavior as if he was stil drinking/using (see George W. Bush). On the other hand guys like me who have gotten sober and have been encouraged to write about their life stand little chance of EVER getting published UNLESS you come up with something that SELLS. So the fault lies not with just Frey. But he’ll get his due. I for one would NEVER EVER think of duping someone of Oprah’s caliber. She got where she is the HARD way. She has earned it all. I am certainly no fan of the show but have tremendous respect for Oprah nonetheless.